James Arthur has hailed former X Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger his 'proud mentor' 8 years after his battle with depression.

The You Deserve Better, 32, hit-maker was crowned winner of the iconic talent show back in 2012 under the guidance of the Pussy Cat Dolls singer.

Eight years on, James has revealed that the pair are still very close, with Nicole, 41, helping him through his battle with depression.

Opening up about their friendship, the singer admitted that the pair are 'in touch all the time' and are planning a secret project together which is set to delight fans during the coronavirus pandemic.

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James told the Sun that himself and his 'proud mentor' are working on something really special.

"We’re in touch all the time, she’s so supportive. Any gig she can make, she’s there like a proud mentor.

"I’m working on something with Nicole right now. I can’t say what it is but I think it’s going to be a nice surprise".

On their upcoming project, the X Factor winner added that he wanted to be able to do something to entertain his fans during the current crisis.

The singer won the X Factor in 2012 (Image: Rex)

James Arthur with Nicole Scherzinger (Image: Ken McKay/Thames/REX)

"I’m working on something with Nicole right now. I can’t say what it is but I think it’s going to be a nice surprise. We got our heads together and thought, "How can we entertain fans during this lockdown?"'

James also opened up about his ongoing battle with depression and anxiety during the candid chat.

The star admitted that he was in a really 'tough' place when he 'burnt through an awful lot of money', causing him to 'do gigs in Moldova every other Saturday to pay the rent'.

James Arthur congratulated by mentor Nicole Scherzinger after being crowned X Factor winner

James discussed a time when he went through financial difficulties following his X Factor triumph (Image: Ken McKay / Rex Features)

James discussed a time when he went through financial difficulties following his X Factor triumph, despite his self-titled album reaching number two in the charts.

He said: "I was in hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of debt.

"I was doing gigs in Moldova every other Saturday to pay the rent and get myself out of the red. It was tough times.